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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of La Roche-Posay Anthelios Protective Oil SPF 50+ versus La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Stick .

Published on March 09, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both sunscreens. They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain SPF

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens or parabens

What's Inside

They both contain silicones

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Sunscreen French Brand France
Sunscreen French Brand France

Sunscreen

Sunscreens help absorb or reflect UV radiation and protect skin against skin damage. Sunscreens may come in the form of lotion, gel, foam, spray, or solid-stick.

Sunscreen

Sunscreens help absorb or reflect UV radiation and protect skin against skin damage. Sunscreens may come in the form of lotion, gel, foam, spray, or solid-stick.

Price

Shop

Buy Anthelios Protective Oil SPF 50+

Shop

Buy Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Stick

Starts at $29.99

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
spf rating
50
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
spf rating
50

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Chemical UV Filter (6)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (4)
Eczema (3)

Notable Ingredients

Chemical UV Filter (3)
Mineral UV Filter
Vitamin E
Exfoliators (2)

Benefits

Hydrating
Brightening

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger (3)
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Emollient, Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Isopropyl Palmitate is a texture enhancer and emollient. It is an ester of isopropyl alcohol and palmitic acid.

Palmitates are emollients. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by creating a barrier that traps moisture in.

When added to cosmetics, Isopropyl Palmitate creates a silky texture and improves spreadability.

Isopropyl Palmitate may not be fungal acne safe. It can worsen acne prone skin.

Learn more about Isopropyl Palmitate

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Protective Oil SPF 50+ contains this as ingredient number 2.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Stick contains this as ingredient number 2.

2
What it does: UV Absorber, UV Filter
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Octocrylene protects skin from sun damage. It absorbs UV-B with peak absorption of 304 nm. It is a common sunscreen ingredient and often paired with avobenzone, a UVA filter. This is because octocrylene stabilizes other sunscreen ingredients by protecting them from degradation when exposed to sunlight. Octocrylene is a photostable ingredient and loses about 10% of SPF in 95 minutes.

Octocrylene also acts as an emollient, meaning it helps skin retain moisture and softens skin. It is oil-soluble and hydrophobic, enhancing water-resistant properties in a product.

Those who are using ketoprofen, a topical anti-inflammatory drug, may experience an allergic reaction when using octocrylene. It is best to speak with a healthcare professional about using sunscreens with octocrylene.

The EU allows a maximum of these concentrations:

Learn more about Octocrylene

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Protective Oil SPF 50+ contains this as ingredient number 5.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Stick contains this as ingredient number 4.

3
What it does: UV Absorber, UV Filter
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Also known as Avobenzone, this ingredient is a chemical sunscreen filter that provides protection in the UV-A range.

Avobenzone is globally approved and is the most commonly used UV-A filter in the world.

Studies have found that avobenzone becomes ineffective when exposed to UV light (it is not photostable; meaning that it breaks down in sunlight). Because of this, formulations that include avobenzone will usually contain stabilizers such as octocrylene.

However, some modern formulations (looking at you, EU!) are able to stabilize avobenzone by coating the molecules.

Avobenzone does not protect against the UV-B range, so it's important to check that the sunscreen you're using contains other UV filters that do!

The highest concentration of avobenzone permitted is 3% in the US, and 5% in the EU.

Learn more about Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Protective Oil SPF 50+ contains this as ingredient number 8.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Stick contains this as ingredient number 8.

4
What it does: UV Absorber, UV Filter
Community Rating: Mixed

Drometrizole Trisiloxane is a UV filter that provides both UV-A (344 nm) and UV-B (303 nm) protection.

This ingredient is photostable and studies show it to be generally safe and effective. The compound Meroxyl XL is owned by L'Oreal while Drometrizole trisiloxane can be found in other sunscreen brands.

It is currently approved for use in the EU, Canada, Australia, and Japan. However, it is not yet approved for use in the US.

This ingredient is often used with other sunscreen ingredients, such as Ecamsule.

Learn more about Drometrizole Trisiloxane

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Protective Oil SPF 50+ contains this as ingredient number 10.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Stick contains this as ingredient number 9.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

15% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
69% are disliked or very disliked
8% have no rating yet
13% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
56% are disliked or very disliked
13% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Anthelios Protective Oil SPF 50+.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 11 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Stick.

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